New Delhi [India]: Days after India’s heartbreaking loss against Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 final match in Ahmedabad, ‘Men in Blue’ spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that the Aussies can read the pitch due to their experience in IPL.
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Ashwin said that experience from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and bilateral series helped the cricketers to understand the conditions.
He also added that India is becoming a hub of world cricket.
“Seeing all the experience from IPL and the bilateral series and India becoming a central hub of world cricket…they can read the pitch perfectly,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Talking about the ODI World Cup 2023 final match, the 37-year-old said he wished the Aussies batted first.
“I was praying that Australia should do that because many people do not understand that the soil in Ahmedabad was like (in) Odisha…It played like any soil from the eastern part of the country would play — if every pitch gets bounce until the knee, this would get bounce only up to the shin,” he added.
The star Indian spinner also claimed that dew does not make a big impact in red soil pictures.
“Dew is not a big impact in red soil pictures, whereas black soil pitches are good turners in the afternoon, but in the night, the pitch solidifies into the wicket and plays as though it is made of concrete,” he added.
In the final match of the tournament, India struggled on a tough batting surface after Australia elected to field first, with fifties coming from KL Rahul (66) and Virat Kohli (54). The ‘Men in Blue’ were bundled out for 240 in their 50 overs.
Chasing 241 runs, Travis Head (137) and Marnus Labuschagne (58*) guided Australia to their sixth WC title.
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